Campfire Tales, by Matthew Deline

In “Campfire Tales,” the player contributes a couple of names and salient points to a brief ghost story, with some of the Mad-Libs-like specific details changing with each replay. The style of input, the fact that the game is hosted on a separate website, and the reference at the end to the “previous visitor” suggest that names from one user are used in other users’ stories. (The exact details might be more evident if my randomizer hadn’t placed this game near the beginning of the month.) Beyond that, I’m not quite sure what to make of it.

Gameplay: There’s not much interaction here; the player simply adds a few minor descriptive details. The narration is fittingly in the style you’d expect from children telling ghost stories around a campfire. 2/10.

Mechanics: Since there’s little interaction in the game, there are few mechanics to discuss. The website is slow to load but otherwise works without issue, and the ability to display the entirety of the story after it’s played is convenient. 3/10.

Presentation: The layout is simple and clear, with a background graphic of a campfire and crackling sound effects. The prose in the story is plain but appropriate for the genre. 4/10.

You might be interested in this game if: You’re interested in randomly-generated elements in stories, or you have fond memories of telling ghost stories around a campfire as a kid.